Blue Lion Pride
by Blueshade Seraphim
Summary: I’m a HUGE fangirl of the Blue Lions. And I wanted to give this route the respect it deserves with a full analysis of why i like it so much, as well as the important bits of the story necessary to pin down those reasons.


**(Hello everyone! Glad to see you could make it. Anyone who's known me for a while knows that I'm a proud Blue Lion. And I've noticed something: Not many people actually talk that much about why the path they support is their favorite. Blue Lions, or otherwise. So of all the people who could jumpstart such a trend, it might as well be me. Just remember that this is highly opinionated, and will contain spoilers for Three Houses. But I'll tell you when we enter those waters when we get there. Cool? Cool.)**

Now, it's actually rather tricky to pin down exactly what I love about Blue Lions so much. And that's because there are loads of reasons. Some I consciously recognize, and some not. But let's begin our analysis in a fitting place: the promotion material.

**Identity:**

When someone asks you, "what does it mean to be a Blue Lion?", what do you think you'd respond with? Well, the short answer is that you originate from The Holy Kingdom of Faerghus. But each of the three houses have their own identity, and characteristics that can be tied back to their homeland. In the case of Faerghus, just look at the name. "The Holy Kingdom of Faerghus". The single added word of "holy" may not seem like that big of a deal. And to many, it probably isn't. But while I'm not particularly religious, I do find myself turning to the heavens when I'm in a stressful predicament. And despite real life religions, no matter what they may be, having atleast one event in the past where they were weaponized, for the most part they've had an image of purity and moral cleanliness with me. The word "Seraphim" is a part of my name for a reason.

But it's not just the name that tells you what this nation stands for. In the promotional video "Welcome To The Blue Lions", Prince Dimitri himself is able to explain that the core values of Faerghus is strength, and chivalry. Now, strength by itself as a value can be good or bad depending on the context. But with the added description of chivalry, it shows that Faerghus, for the most part, is a very good natured country. And with that information, the value of strength gains more meaning. Because unlike Rigel from Fire Emblem: Echoes, it's not just strength for the sake of being strong. It's so that you can help and protect those in need. And that's a very admirable goal. Of course, just because you live in Faerghus doesn't mean that you'll magically be bestowed with these traits. But it is a great series of values that people in Faerghus should strive for.

And finally, as two last small points, the signature color of Faerghus is... well... blue. Blue is my favorite color, so that gets it some points. Faerghus is also stationed in the frigid north of Fódlan, and I happen to prefer the cold to the heat.

So then, all that boring stuff out of the way, let's talk about what the Blue Lions has to offer to the player. And you can't talk about the story of Blue Lions, without mentioning the man leading the charge: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd.

**House Leader:**

Ah, Dimitri. One of the most beloved characters in the Three Houses cast. And for good reason! Even compared to other house leaders in their routes, Dimitri is granted a much brighter spotlight to flesh out his character than his peers. When Dimitri first opened his mouth in the aforementioned promotional video, it only served to strengthen my intrigue for the Blue Lions even further. He speaks in a polite tone, and his choice of words help tease who he is in the game itself. I was particularly drawn in by the few words he said about himself: "I am its prince, yet... no stranger to misfortune." I'm sure anyone can relate to having a less cheerful side of themselves. And I am no different. Stuff like that humbles him, and grounds him a bit closer to reality than other fictional heroes. Take Corrin for example. They had pure ideals, and a strong sense of compassion. But that's all there was to them. There was no real reason for anyone to care. No one saw how Corrin came to adopt those beliefs, and their reception suffered for it.

But I digress, the words he ended the video with also struck a chord with me: "The Blue Lions walk the true path of justice." Now, anyone can say they want justice. And depending on how they themselves define it, it can mean very different things. Mustache Girl from A Hat in Time probably has a much different perspective on justice than say... Steven, from Steven Universe. But given the image that has already been painted about Dimitri, the one delivering the line, even if you don't think he's right on that front, you can atleast tell he believes that claim is true. And it makes you wanna root for him. It makes you wanna see him succeed.

And now we arrive to spoiler territory. If you haven't yet played Three Houses, (somehow), and have avoided being spoiled, (again, somehow), than I recommend you read no further. It is best to play the game as blind as possible. Take it from me. Now then...

**The story:**

Dimitri's way of acting and reacting to the events around him often tie back to his backstory. As a child, he had the horrible fate of watching all his loved ones perish in The Tragedy of Duscur. His father, his siblings, all of them dying slowly and painfully. This obviously scarred him for life. While he did his best to be a shining example of compassion and righteousness for his people, and for the many who he believes he's obligated to repay, the events of Duscur birthed another side of Dimitri. One that his childhood friend Felix had seen firsthand. Dubbed by Felix as "the boar", from an outside perspective, this side of Dimitri is merciless and bloodthirsty. Brutally massacring his enemies in a way that would horrify any normal person. This, combined with Felix's father Rodrigue, a vocal supporter of Dimitri and Faerghus in general, being seen as uncaring towards his brother's death from his perspective, led to Felix developing a strong hatred towards his former friend. A hatred he barely tries to hide.

Anyway, Dimitri had been both literally and figuratively haunted by the tragedy. Figuratively, in that he loathes himself for being the sole survivor, and feeling a guilt that he wasn't able to deliver justice to those involved. And literally, because from that day forward, Dimitri started receiving hallucinations of those who had died that day. Paranoid Schizophrenia. These ghostly visions would echo Dimitri's own darkest thoughts about himself. Scrutinizing him for failing to avenge them. For being able to live, while they weren't. Many years later, a grown up Dimitri enrolled in Garreg Mach. His hopes was to train himself up for if the grand day would finally come to have his revenge on the people responsible.

While most of Fódlan believed the people behind the slaughter was the people of Duscur, this was in actuality a large cover up orchestrated by Those Who Slither In The Dark. While Dimitri did not know who the true perpetrators of the tragedy were, or why they would commit such an inhuman act, he did know that Duscur was innocent. So when the kingdom launched its retaliation, he saved a Duscur man named Dedue. It was thanks to Dimitri that Dedue was able to live, as well as the reason he doesn't wish for death. So Dedue dedicates himself to repaying the prince's kindness.

It is explained in Dimitri's supports with Flayn that he'd lost his sense of taste 4 years prior to the events of the game. Though this is unimportant to the story, I thought it was a fun fact. Depending on the choices of the player, Dimitri's fate will hang in the balance. If you do not choose his house, he will be doomed to die in any other route. In Golden Deer, and Silver Snow, his lust for vengeance will cost him his life during the 2nd battle at gronder field. And in Crimson Flower, he is killed by Edelgard personally. However...

**If you join Dimitri:**

There is a common theme that Byleth is the tool by which the house leaders can achieve their goals. And so if Byleth is there to support Dimitri, something beautiful happens. But first, let's break down everything from here.

Dimitri is understandably very rattled following Lonato's death. This shows that while he doesn't approve of wasting human life, he can still understand that Lonato was a good man that was merely led down the wrong path. His belief that there's no excuse for unwarranted death stands in star contrast to his cousin, Edelgard. While Dimitri does agree that the crest system is indeed a broken system that leads to abuse, (and it definitely is), he also brings up the valid point that people need time to adjust to change. You can't just take away such a long lasting tradition and expect people to cope without question. Such complex problems need time and attention to be worked out, so as to make the transition as smooth as possible.

This balanced way of viewing the world also extends to Miklan. I completely agree with his comments regarding him: it was wrong for his father to disown him because he didn't have a crest. The need to defend their territory is no reason to take such callous measures. But Miklan still actively made the poor choices he did. It was his decision to become a bandit, to terrorize the locals, and to steal an artifact that he simply isn't equipped to use. Miklan's past was rough. No one would deny that. But it was his decision to turn that past into an excuse for abandoning his morality.

And now we come to the remire village incident. This is the instance that causes Dimitri to briefly revert to his boar side. The parallels between the chaos unfolding, and the tragedy are uncanny. Death and destruction happening at the hands of shadowy puppeteers. So of course it'd stroke the flames in him, so to speak. Anyone who goes out of their way to force suffering onto others, is just not worthy of being considered human to him.

Following the death of Jeralt, I'd argue that Dimitri has the most caring approach to comforting Byleth. Claude gives them the advice of looking on the bright side, and not giving in to despair, while Edelgard...? Edelgard just responds with the equivalent of "Get over yourself, and fight." But Dimitri is very considerate in how he speaks to them. Offering to eat together, and promising to cover for them until they're ready to open back up. He tells Byleth that there's strength in taking the time to feel sadness and reflect, just as there's strength in moving forward. And he ultimately gives them the advice to find something to fight for, and gain the conviction to press on from that. Don't get me wrong, what Claude said was totally fine. But Dimitri speaks like someone who's actually comforting a grieving friend. And I found that really sweet of him.

And one final thing to consider before we discuss the timeskip, is one that I'm certain all of you are curious to hear my opinion on: his treatment towards The Flame Emperor, especially after their unmasking. He immediately accuses them of being behind the tragedy, something that they deny. And to their credit, they are in fact telling the truth. But after they're revealed to be Edelgard, Dimitri snaps. He doubles down on his previous words, and verbally berates her as a monster in human skin.

A lot of Edelgard supporters point out that it's ridiculous for Dimitri to think this, considering Edelgard was a child like him at the time of the tragedy. But while that is true, I must emphasize that you consider this situation from Dimitri's perspective: All your life you've wanted revenge. And yet you never can, because you have no clue who's to blame. Suddenly, a masked terrorist comes around, who you know for a fact is working with people who'd be capable of such atrocities. And then it's revealed that this person is someone you care deeply about. How would you feel? Furious! Enraged! And that's exactly what's happening here. I'm sure Dimitri knows Edelgard isn't responsible. But now he finally has someone to take the fall. Someone to direct all his pent up fury at. And in the scene where The Flame Emperor talks with Thales and Kronya, ask yourself this: if you saw this out of context, could you tell who between The Flame Emperor and Thales are the ones in charge? Edelgard's blunt statements combined with Thales's comment on strengthening her would imply she's the one calling the shots. Even though that isn't true.

Post timeskip, we can see that Dimitri's rage towards Edelgard has taken its toll. The supposed loss of Byleth, and Dedue only making matters worse. His kingdom has been taken over my some power-mad supporter of the empire. Everything else in his life has collapsed around him. He is trapped in his own bitterness. The voices in his head now dominate every decision he makes. He's lost interest in being pleasant to others. He doesn't even care about being a good person anymore. All that matters to him anymore is taking down Edelgard, believing that doing so would give him some peace. However, the return of Byleth and all of his classmates are atleast able to at the very least restrain him ever so slightly.

Similarly, reuniting with Rodrigue and especially his touching reunion with Dedue help prevent him from fully losing control. Despite this, he is still mostly the plaything of imaginary spirits. When General Randolph is defeated, he wastes no time in taking a sledgehammer to his pride and self-image. Even going as far as to offer prolonging his death, so that he can suffer as much as possible. Of course, Byleth immediately mercy kills him before Dimitri can do anything, but I digress.

It's only after Rodrigue is killed by Fleche, in an attempt to protect him, that Dimitri finally starts questioning his cruel acts. But what manages to fish Dimitri out of the darkness ends up being Byleth. Inspiring him to forgive himself for being alive, and to do what he believes is right. From this point on, Dimitri comes back from the brink. Returning as the kind man you once knew. Only now, all that unchecked anger bubbling below the surface is mostly dissipated. Of course, this doesn't mean the Dimitri's "fine" per se. The voices are still there, and he will always be haunted by the many things he's done. But in a very emotionally moving way, he chooses to keep going and to become a man that can bring happiness to others. The kind that he himself was not able to have.

Almost there, guys. When a man comes forward to confess to his involvement in The Tragedy of Duscur, Dimitri doesn't choose to have him killed. Not right away, at least. Proving that he's not the man he used to be. Instead, he has him taken away to be questioned. Feeling that the people should know as much as possible about what actually happened.

Now comes his pre-battle chat with Hubert and Edelgard. Despite him still feeling resentment towards her, he's still willing to speak with her in as diplomatic a way possible, given that they're going to engage in one last battle. It's here that both characters demonstrate their philosophy, as well as how they're each other's opposite. Edelgard is someone who will keep reaching for what she perceives as a just goal, no matter the cost. She believes that people who rely on the divine are delusional. (Something that's rich coming from her, given she's been relying on Those Who Slither In The Dark all this time). This is what makes Edelgard the villain to me. She contradicts herself on a regular basis. She wants to make meaningless sacrifice of human life a thing of the past, yet meaninglessly sacrifices the lives of her soldiers, and anyone standing in her way. She wants Byleth to be sympathetic towards her, despite conspiring with Kronya in the academy to kill Jeralt, as evidence by the two discussing the plan in the monastery. She wants "true wisdom" to prevail, when her account of history is just as full of lies as Rhea's. And while that's the fault of Thales and his cronies, Edelgard makes a point of lying to the faces of her allies, as we see in Crimson Flower, following the takeover of The Silver Maiden.

Sorry... I've just been wanting to say all that for some time. Dimitri on the other hand, once again affirms that regardless of intentions, shamelessly spilling the blood of people who initially meant you no ill will is simply not okay. And it isn't! He points out that Edelgard is self-righteous. Her ideas of right and wrong bloated by her goals to such a fine degree, that she's lost the ability to understand the agony of the very people she's allowing the deaths of. There's no such thing as a "good war".

And lastly, the conclusion. Despite Edelgard employing the most extreme of methods to snuff out Dimitri, and anyone opposing her, she is defeated. And wanting to make one final effort to start anew, he offers his hand to her. But instead of taking it, Edelgard stabs him with the very dagger he gifted to her. Resulting in her own death. Now, this could mean one of two things:

Either Edelgard was taking his advice to "cut her own path", which in this case meant through him.

Or, she was spurring him on to kill her. Knowing he otherwise wouldn't have gone through with it. And in all likelihood, this is what she intended, as we see this mirrored in Silver Snow, and Golden Deer. Telling Byleth she must die. And I've always found that one final insult from her.

Why? Because it means that EVERYTHING, all the deaths she caused, all the turmoil she created, and all the destruction sanctioned at her hands... was pointless. Yes, the crest system does end up getting revoked, but she did all that, almost destroyed her cousin and countless others, and it built up to absolutely nothing! She could have at the very least tried to do something, anything good to mend some of the damage she did, but no. She doesn't even tell you about Those Who Slither In The Dark.

Anyway, Dimitri wins the war, and becomes king of the entirety of Fódlan, with Byleth serving as the new archbishop.

**Conclusion:**

The background of the Blue Lions, Dimitri's emotional roller coaster of a story, the philosophical analysis of him and Edelgard, and having what I personally believe is the best character in Three Houses, Mercedes, starting off in that class, it all combines into one delicious cocktail of Fire Emblem goodness. And it is rather disappointing that his ending is the only one that doesn't actually deal with Those Who Slither In The Dark, I like to think that because Thales, and his two lackeys are dead, and that they'd have no way of obtaining power under Dimitri's rule anyway, that it is indeed a happy ending all the same. So that is why I'm a Blue Lion. And I will fight till dying breath for my king. Thank you for lending me your time.


End file.
